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July 15, 2011

G91: Rays 9, Red Sox 6

Miller (2.2-5-7-5-0, 85) was absolutely dreadful and although Price (6-5-3-1-7, 121) gave up three home runs for only the second time in his career, he managed to keep the lid on the Sox's offense. The nine runs were a season-high at home for Tampa Bay.

Perhaps Miller's lack of control was in honour of Daisuke Matsuzaka, who visited the team before the game. Miller has not recorded a strikeout in either of his last two starts. Since fanning J.A. Happ of the Astros in the fifth inning on July 2, Miller has faced 49 batters, with no punchouts.

Ben Zobrist walked and scored in the first, hit a grand slam in the second, and walked with the bases loaded in the third. Casey Kotchman cranked a two-run homer in the sixth off Dan Wheeler.

All three of the dongs surrendered by Price were solo shots: Darnell McDonald in the second, Jacoby Ellsbury in the third, and Dustin Pedroia in the sixth.

Marco Scutaro hit a two-run bomb in the seventh; it was Boston's first hit of the night with a man on base.

In the eighth, Pedroia doubled and scored in Kevin Youkilis's one-out single, cutting the Rays' lead to 9-6, and bringing the potential tying run to the on-deck circle. J.P. Howell struck out Ortiz and Kyle Farnsworth retired J.D. Drew on a pop-up. Then the Mop pitched a perfect ninth to close it out.

The Red Sox have 72 games left to play in the regular season, and they lead the Yankees by 1.5 games. Miller, John Lackey, and Josh Beckett are the starters in this series. Tampa Bay is in third place, six games out.

The Orioles are whining that the Red Sox were not punished enough for last weekend's HBPathon. Terry Francona should have been suspended (Tito: "Why would I have been suspended? I didn't do anything.") and David Ortiz should have received a longer sentence than pitcher Kevin Gregg (they both got four games). The Os are lacking in common sense: Ortiz plays every day and Gregg is a short reliever who would likely work a total of two innings over four games, so Tiz's sentence is far more severe.

Justin Verlander will be starting two consecutive games for the Tigers. He pitched last Sunday, before the break, and he gets the ball tonight, when Detroit resumes its schedule.

I'm getting all Rogers/Toronto ads, and between Ricky Romero All Star Game pick and Robert Alomar Cooperstown induction, and 2 other sports events Rogers is hosting (soccer and tennis, could I possibly care less... no), I'm beginning to miss Sullivan Tires.